Contact Us

The Office of Marketing and Communications is located on the second floor of Francis Hall on the East End of campus. During the academic year, our office hours are 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. Summer hours are 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.

News

New Health and Human Performance Lab receives grant of almost $20,000

St. Bonaventure University’s new Health and Human Performance Lab has received a $19,435 grant from the Manley Trust.

Funding will go towards the purchase of lab equipment and will be used jointly by students and faculty in the biology, sport studies and physical education programs.

Only 15 of 31 applications were approved by the Manley Trust for funding, with an average of $10,000 granted. St. Bonaventure University’s $19,435 was the largest grant awarded this year.

The human performance measurement equipment will allow students to gain hands-on experience while utilizing actual tools used in the health and wellness professions.

Faculty will be able to use this equipment to conduct research studies, and the long-term goal of the center is to become a community center for health and wellness where students help children and families that are coping with non-communicable diseases (heart disease, stroke, and diabetes in particular).

The lab is located in room 29 of the Reilly Center, the old Students in Money Management room in the basement directly beneath the post office.

Dr. Nick Mitchell, from the biology department, and Dr. Paul Brawdy, from the physical education department, co-wrote the grant proposal. Claire Watson, chair of the sport studies program; Michael Beardsley, lecturer in sport studies; Wolfgang Natter, dean of the School of Arts and Sciences; Larry Sorokes, associate vice president and executive director of Grants Administration and Lifelong Learning; Mary Driscoll, vice president for University Advancement; and Joseph E. Zimmer, Ph. D., dean of the School of Education, were part of the working group to make the lab a reality on campus.
The lab will extend learning outside classrooms as students will have the chance to learn how to assess body composition (body fat), muscular endurance, cardiovascular indices (EKG, blood pressure, heart rate, oxygen saturation), muscular power and how to determine the cardiovascular/muscular limitations of an individual. In addition, students will be provided with learning tools to use to accompany their lectures in nutrition, fitness and wellness, biokinesiology, and exercise physiology.

Watson said the use of this lab is not just intended for sport studies and physical education majors.

“The development of the lab is to share our resources with the goal of improved performance of our Division I athletes and to provide research opportunities for our colleagues and their students)within the School of Arts & Sciences,” she said.

As the programs are growing, due to the increased demand for professionals in the fields of allied health, there was a need to support the students’ experience in the classroom with actual utensils that they would be utilizing in graduate school and in their careers, Watson said.

They will gain enhanced understanding of the topics discussed in lecture each week, she said, but will also be provided with the knowledge (textbook and practical) to stand out in the competitive graduate school pools for physical therapy, exercise physiology and occupational therapy.

An open house will be scheduled as soon as the lab equipment has been purchased and installed.

______________

About the University: The nation’s first Franciscan university, St. Bonaventure University cultivates graduates who are confident and creative communicators, collaborative leaders and team members, and innovative problem solvers who are respectful of themselves, others, and the diverse world around them. We are establishing pathways to internships, graduate schools and careers in the context of our renowned liberal arts tradition. Our students are becoming extraordinary.